The Death Of ‘Range Anxiety’ Is Nigh: Tesla’s Software Patch Explained

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Sometime ago, Tesla Motors announced a coming update that would – they say – put an end to range anxiety for owners of the Tesla Model S. The details of the update – namely how it would accomplish that rather existential goal – were not known. Until now.

As Jalopnik reports, the “range anxiety-killing” software patch for the Tesla Model S is pretty much what we’d expected: it features a thing called “Range Assurance,” which plots an ideal route via satellite navigation. This takes into account the nearest and most convenient supercharger stations, so that ideally, you never run out of charge while en route.

“Range Assurance” builds off of another feature included in the Version 6.2 update, called “Trip Planner.” That routine runs constantly in the background, continually updating your calculated range based on everything from elevation changes to wind speed and direction. It uses that calculated range, in-conjunction with map data of any nearby supercharger locations, to warn the driver whenever he or she gets to a point where they’ll be out of range of all stations.

Said Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk: “It’s impossible to run out unless you do so intentionally.” Range anxiety, consider yourself defeated.

Update Version 6.2 should be launched as an over-the-air update within the coming weeks.

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— Aaron Birch

Aaron Birch is an automotive enthusiast and writer/filmmaker from Detroit, MI. As a rule, he only buys cars older than himself.